Royal Bank of Canada Buys 9,341 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 409,341 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 9,341 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned 0.61% of MKS Instruments worth $42,730,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 24,900.0% during the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the topic of several analyst reports. Benchmark lowered their price target on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on MKS Instruments from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $134.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI stock traded up $4.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $87.64. The stock had a trading volume of 208,546 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,053,206. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.84 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $95.95. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $913.59 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. MKS Instruments's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.18 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is presently 26.27%.

MKS Instruments Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc provides foundational technology solutions to semiconductor manufacturing, electronics and packaging, and specialty industrial applications in the United States, Germany, China, South Korea, and internationally. It operates through Vacuum Solutions Division (VSD), Photonics Solutions Division (PSD), and Material Solutions Division (MSD) segments.